,,,,»†$$&#                                          #&$$†»,,,,
,,»†$§&£##                                          ##£&§$†»,,
,,,,,»$$&£                                          £&$$»,,,,,
,,»†$§&£##                                          ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§£###                                          ###£§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£££                WINDS ESKER               £££&§$†»,,
,,,,,,†§&& »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» &&§†,,,,,,
,»†$§&£###                                          ###£&§$†»,
,,»†$§&£## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT  FOR TWO YEARS ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## I  COULDN'T  GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†§&£### DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ###£&§†»,,
,,,,,,,†§£ ON  MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK  OF IT  WHEN £§†,,,,,,,
,,,,,»$§&& ALONE. I  WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL PAST  THE &&§$»,,,,,
,,»†$$§§&# FORK,  WHERE A RIGHT  TURN WOULD  SURELY #&§§$$†»,,
,,,,,»»$§£ TAKE  ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING £§$»»,,,,,
,,»†$§&£##              KEPT ME AWAY.               ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§§&£#                                          #£&§§$†»,,
,,,,,,†§§£ WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT THERE,  AFTER  SOME £§§†,,,,,,
,,,,,»$&&&     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     &&&$»,,,,,
,,»†$§&£## ASSUME,  THE  PLACE   WAS   SURREAL.  AN ##£&§$†»,,
,,,,,»»$$& ESKER,  LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT OUT  IN &$$»»,,,,,
,»†$§&£### THE   LAKE,  BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH  AND ###£&§$†»,
,,»†$§&£## ADORNED  IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN,  AND ##£&§$†»,,
,,,»†$$$&£               BLUEBERRIES.               £&$$$†»,,,
,,»†$§&£##                                          ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## NOTICE THE VIEW  TO  EITHER SIDE.  THERE ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£££ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I £££&§$†»,,
,,»††$$§&£ DIDN'T  RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF,  THEY £&§$$††»,,
,,,,,»††$& WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE  LAKE SHOULD &$††»,,,,,
,,,,,»†§§£ STRETCH FOR  A  HUNDRED  METERS  MORE ON £§§†»,,,,,
,,»†$§§&£# BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I FELT  I  COULD #£&§§$†»,,
,,,,»†§&&# ALMOST  REACH OUT  AND  TOUCH THEM.  AND #&&§†»,,,,
,,»†$§&£## THEN, WHEN I REALIZED  WHICH SHORES THEY ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&££#           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           #££&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£##                                          ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&££# THEY WERE  OF  THE  RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS #££&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£##       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## BIPARTITE.  LIKE A PAIR  OF LUNGS CARVED ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## INTO THE GRANITE, AND  WITH NO LESS THAN ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£##   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   ##£&§$†»,,
,,,,»††§&#      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      #&§††»,,,,
,,»†$§&###    IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY     ###&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&&&& UNDERSTOOD THEM  AS BELONGING MANY MILES &&&&§$†»,,
,,,,,»$&&#                   AWAY.                  #&&$»,,,,,
,,,,,,»$§&                                          &§$»,,,,,,
,,»†$§&£## I  EXAMINED  THE  RIDGE,  THE   TREELINE ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## ABOVE. WAS  THIS WHAT YOU  SAW OPPOSITE, ##£&§$†»,,
,,,,††§&&£ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T £&&§††,,,,
,,»†$§&£##                REMEMBER.                 ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£##                                          ##£&§$†»,,
,,»$§&£### CARRYING  FORWARD,  ON  THE VERY TIP  OF ###£&§$»,,
,,,,»$$&££ THE  ESKER,  I FOUND  THE RUINS OF  SOME ££&$$»,,,,
,,,,,,†§§&    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    &§§†,,,,,,
,,,,†††$&& MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  &&$†††,,,,
,,»†$§&£## THE  MOSS,  AND STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&&&# INTO  THE SLOPE LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST  THE #&&&§$†»,,
,,,,,,,†§&              GROUND ITSELF.              &§†,,,,,,,
,,,,»$§§&#                                          #&§§$»,,,,
,,,»»†§§££ SITTING THERE, I  COULD  SEE ACROSS  THE ££§§†»»,,,
,,»†§&£### NARROWED  LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ###£&§†»,,
,,»†$§&£## SAT:  FROM THE  STAIRWELL  OF MY  HOUSE, ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## THROUGH  THE  OLD  WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ##£&§$†»,,
,,,,»†††$&      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      &$†††»,,,,
,,»†$§&££# TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK UNDER  IT, #££&§$†»,,
,,,,»»†§§& THROUGH  THE  FANCY   VILLAS,  OVER  THE &§§†»»,,,,
,,»†$§&### FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT  THE ###&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£##                   FORK.                  ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§§§££                                          ££§§§$†»,,
,,,,»»»»$& AND  THEN  THE  STAIRS  UP ON THE RIDGE. &$»»»»,,,,
,,»†$§&££# THINKING  BACK,  THIS  WAS  PROBABLY IT. #££&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## HIDDEN  IN  A  GROVE, THERE  WERE STAIRS ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&££# MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I CURRENTLY SAT  ON, #££&§$†»,,
,,,»»»»†$& OLD  AND  WORN DOWN, THAT  LEAD  YOU  UP &$†»»»»,,,
,,,,††$§§& ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY.  HAD &§§$††,,,,
,,»†$§&£## I  INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH  AT ITS ##£&§$†»,,
,,,,»»†§§& FOOT, I'M SURE  MY  EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE &§§†»»,,,,
,,»†$§&£##          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&££#                                          #££&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£## »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&&&&                                          &&&&§$†»,,
,,,,,,†§&& ON  THE  LAKE,   THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN &&§†,,,,,,
,,,,,,†$&# BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD THEY  EVEN SEE #&$†,,,,,,
,,,,,,»†$& ME?  IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN TO &$†»,,,,,,
,,,,††$$$&          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         &$$$††,,,,
,,»†$§&£##                                          ##£&§$†»,,
,,»†$§&£##                                          ##£&§$†»,,
,,,,†††$&&                                          &&$†††,,,,
,,»†$§&£££                                          £££&§$†»,,
,,,,,,»$&£                                          £&$»,,,,,,